


Divine Lust

by Ruunkur



Series: Divine Ripples [7]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Golden Deer Route, I really enjoyed writing Lorenz in this, Lorenz with a tea house is just amazing, Others are mentioned but I'm not tagging everyone, Reincarnation AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23537698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: In a world where dreams tell you of your past life in reverse, Lorenz always strongly believed in romance and love. He just was never sure he would meet his past lovers.
Series: Divine Ripples [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659364
Kudos: 7





	Divine Lust

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the delay! I got caught up working on another thing, but I think I found a compromise. I'm not allowed to update the other thing unless I have updated Divine Ripples.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> There is underlying ships in this, but they aren't important.

_Lorenz looked at the stack of reports, neatly piled on his tea table. With a sigh, he set his cup down, picking up the papers._

_It had been ages since he had looked at some of them, dust coating the topmost report. With a sigh, he flipped it over, raising an eyebrow._

_The handwriting was neat, scrawling and he flushed, setting it to the side. Other letters with the same handwriting were uncovered from the stack, Lorenz closing his eyes as he pressed a hand to his chest. The tightness was still there, making it difficult to breathe._

_With a huff, he moved to stand, closing his eyes as a wave of dizziness clouded his mind. He reached out to steady himself, the aching creep of tightness spreading and Lorenz struggled to take a deep enough breath._

_He fell on the floor, hand still clutched to his chest._

Lorenz frowned, picking up the tea cup and turning it over in his hands. Sun shone through the window, illuminating the room and highlighting the soft reds and golds amongst the darker blue walls.

“Lorenz, there’s a man here to speak with you!”

Lorenz glanced up at Marianne, the woman standing in the doorway.

“Is it about a booking?”

The receptionist looked at him, letting out a small noise. “If it were about a booking, I wouldn’t be telling you, now would I? No, a man by the name of Claude Reyes. Requested to see you personally. Said that there’s only one person he knew that would have such an outrageous tea house? Whatever that means.”

Lorenz let out a huff, setting the cup he had been inspecting down. “Very well. We have several new table clothes coming in later today. Please let me know as soon as they arrive.”

The receptionist nodded. “He’s in the green room, waiting to see you. Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thank you.”

Lorenz walked out of the room, tossing his hair over his shoulder and making his way down the hall. There were several closed doors, the tea house currently closed to clients until the next afternoon.

He pushed the cracked door open all the way, stopping as he stared into the room. A man stood in the middle of the path, eyeing the greens and silvers, a frown creasing his brow. He turned when he heard the door open all the way.

“Ah, hello.”

The man turned, clearing his throat as he spoke.

Lorenz tilted his head, nodding. “Hello, Claude. Ms. Serena told me you were here.”

Claude smiled, his eyes lighting up. “I was sure it was you, Lorenz. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“I… didn’t realize you were in town.” Lorenz cleared his throat, gesturing for Claude to sit. “Is there anything you would like? Tea, pastries?”

Claude shook his head. “No thank you, I ate before coming over. I really like your tea house, Lorenz. It looks like you’re doing well for yourself.”

“Thank you. It’s been… time consuming to get everything just right. Would you like a tour?” Lorenz asked, shifting his stance. “You look like you’ve been doing well for yourself. What have you been up to?”

Claude smiled, nodding at him. “A tour would be nice. I… honestly, am not surprised you own a tea house.”

Lorenz smiled at him. “What brought you to our town, Claude?”

Claude hesitated, glancing around the room they were standing in. “I was hoping to find anyone else that might remember. I figured Fodlan would be my best bet. Tell me, do you see any of the others?”

The man frowned before he nodded. “I hold weekly get togethers, for the others that know about our past. It’s called the Golden Days. Have you seen Sylvain yet?”

Claude shifted, shaking his head. “I just got in town about two days ago. Haven’t really seen much, been working on some other logistics for the time being. I think I’m going to see him soon, though.”

“Ah.”

Lorenz cleared his throat, looking away from Claude. He turned, heading out of the room and gesturing to the closed doors.

“This particular tea house was owned by another before I took it over. Failing as it was, there was a desire in the general populace to have tea. What we strive here to do is recreate teas from days long past. Each room has a focus of a certain color and historical period.” He walked through the hallway, indicating the eight closed doors.

“Wow, you put a lot of detail into this, haven’t you?” Claude asked, examining a room whose door was open.

“I spent a lot of my childhood researching different periods of historical culture. While a tea house wasn’t on my list of ideal jobs, I have become quite happy with what I have achieved.” Lorenz admitted, looking over his shoulder and smiling at the soft purple rooms.

“What did you want to do?” Claude asked, closing the door and looking at him.

Lorenz glanced at him, brushing his hair from his face. “I was looking into a career as a fashion designer, however, I was unable to pursue that career choice. I do tailor several prop outfits, if a person would like to have a certain tone for a tea party.”

“That is very. Wow. Do people really get that fancy with their tea?”

“We also double as a brothel.” Lorenz said, voice flat as he looked away.

Claude stopped as he stared at Lorenz, arching his eyebrow. “A brothel?”

Lorenz shrugged. “It’s all legal, trust me. That is more or less a close kept secret. Anyone who asks, of course, will be given the full disclosure. Really, an authentic tea house will not run on its own. It’s why it was failing in the first place. Best to move the whole production in a direction that will not cause it to fail further.”

Claude looked around the tea house hallway, his eyes going wide. “Wait, you’re… not joking.”

Lorenz shook his head. “You would be surprised how many people enjoy having a very lovely woman dressed as Emperor Edelgard walk all over them. And, dreams are helpful in ensuring that outfits are made with accuracy. Why, I have made it my goal-”

“Lorenz.”

“Mmm?” Lorenz looked up, meeting Claude’s gaze.

“Please stop talking.”

Lorenz held up his hands, shaking his head. “It gives many people honest work. So, why are you here?”

Claude cleared his throat, glancing around the room. “I was looking for you. I spoke with Leonie yesterday and heard about your Golden Days meetup. Figured it would be best to just go straight to the source, so. Here I am.”

Lorenz nodded, pushing away the wave of guilt at Claude’s words. “Ah, yes. Leonie works at the wonderdous coffee shop down the way. As for your other question, I do know where a few of the others are. Obviously, I can’t tell you exact location but-”

Claude shook his head. “I would like to come to a meet-up myself. Is it only our classmates?”

“There are several from the other houses that attend, as well. It varies, during each meet-up, but I plan on hosting a rather large one in about two weeks’ time. I am sure nearly everyone I know will be there. Are you interested in coming?” Lorenz asked.

Claude shifted, clearing his throat. “I do want to come. It would be nice to see the others. Thank you.”

Lorenz shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, it is nice to get together and just be able to be yourselves, isn’t it? Have you been in Almyra all this time?”

Claude nodded, smiling at Lorenz. “I have. I was working as a park ranger up near Fodlan’s Throat. That is to say, I am still a park ranger and enjoy my time there. Just taking some time off to set up a few things.”

“And what is the Master Tactician up to now? There must be some scheme you’re building up to.” Lorenz crossed his arms, tilting his head to look at Claude.

Claude just smiled back at him. “That is for me to know, and everyone else to find out. Can you keep it under wraps that I’ll be at the meeting in two weeks?”

Lorenz frowned but nodded. “It’s always a question of who might show up, mind you. There are a few people that tend to avoid us. I don’t blame them, of course-”

“I’m guessing you don’t have a way to contact Edelgard or Hubert?”

Lorenz pursed his lips. “They are who I thought of, admittedly. But, not everyone we know comes to these. There are even a few people I have yet to come across, at this time. If you wish to seek Edelgard out, she works at one of the local junior highs. I’ll send you the name if I recall which one it is.”

“I suppose there may be others that haven’t been reborn yet. But, I have a good feeling about this. And thanks, I would appreciate being able to get in touch with them!” Claude smiled, taking in Lorenz’s appearance in the hallway light. “I can’t believe your haircut.”

Lorenz reached his hand up, touching the hair and frowning. “It’s a wig, actually. I forgot I was wearing it.”

“Wait.”

Lorenz had moved to pull the wig off, his cheeks a bright red as Claude stopped him.

“Wait, do you also-”

“And we are closed, so I will have to ask you to leave, Claude. As great as it has been catching up, I doubt you’ll want to stay here and waste more time speaking with me.” Lorenz gestured towards the door, pushing on Claude’s back to get him to move faster.

“But-”

Claude stumbled, letting Lorenz push him towards the front door. The receptionist looked up in amusement, Claude reaching out to grip onto the counter.

“Wait.”

Lorenz stopped, narrowing his eyes. “Yes?”

“I appreciate it, Lorenz.” Claude smiled at him, his eyes bright and shining. Lorenz swallowed as he felt the heat pool in his stomach, his cheeks still flushed bright red. “This is going to save me so much time, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You’ll be here in two weeks, then?” he asked, glancing down at the calendar on the counter.

Claude nodded, glancing over his shoulder. “What dates do you have for the meetups?”

“Tuesdays and Thursdays, they’re circled. Just jot down when you would like to come and I’ll make a point to get everyone I can here.”

Claude nodded, picking up the pen and adding a second circle to the last Thursday of the month. He set it back down, smiling at Lorenz. “Thank you, I mean it. And, if this could stay a secret until I show up…? I want to take everyone by surprise.”

“Of course, I am always willing to help an old friend. And you never change, do you, Claude? Always scheming.”

Claude hesitated, smiling at Lorenz. “Lysithea will be happy to see you again.”

Lorenz perked up at the mention of her, eyes shining. “Ah, she is…?”

Claude shook his head. “I worked with her while she was in school, doing a side program with the park rangers. I’ll let her know where you’re at.”

“Of course, thank you, Claude.” Lorenz stepped forward, pulling Claude into a warm embrace.

Claude returned the embrace, chuckling as he pulled away. “That is one… realistic wig.”

Lorenz tossed it over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “I only get the best. Have a good night, Claude.”

Claude waved, turning and leaving the tea house. Lorenz looked down at the calendar, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Is he part of that weird club of yours?” The receptionist asked.

Lorenz looked up, smiling at her. “No, but he remembers.”

*~*~*~*~*

Lorenz tapped his fingers against the counter, listening to the phone ring. He sat at the front desk, turning the chair idly with each ring.

“Ah, hello, Lorenz! How are you today?”

He perked up when the phone was answered, a smile crossing his face. “Good afternoon, Mercedes. I was actually hoping if I could request a favor from you. Also, I have a check that will be put in the mail, towards our account.”

The line muffled for a moment before Mercedes spoke. “Of course! What is it that you need?”

Lorenz took in a breath, glancing over his shoulder. All the scheduled appointments were checked in for the day, evening beginning to draw to a close for night to truly settle in.

“We are going to have a special guest next Thursday, for the Golden Days. I was hoping you could bake some extra special treats?”

Mercedes laughed, Lorenz sitting up right in the chair as a pair of men exited the building.

“Do you mean special as in edibles or special as in-”

“As in regular special. Please, I would rather not have a repeat of the last accident.”

Mercedes laughed, Lorenz shifting in his chair once more to slump across the desk. Purple strands of hair fell in his eyes, the man letting out a huff to blow it out of his face.

“Of course, and I am still so sorry about that. I’ll make sure I have enough for the night. I look forward to seeing you next Thursday, Lorenz.”

“Of course, Mercedes. Is your bakery doing well?”

They chatted for several more minutes, Lorenz finally getting off the phone when a woman stopped to speak with him, her eyes bright in excitement. He listened to her words over the tea room and the staff, a smile on his face.

“We always aim to bring a pleasurable experience to our clientele.”

He marked down the request of Mercedes, adding it to a mental total as he began to prepare to clean, his mind abuzz with all the different ways next week could go.

*~*~*~*~*

Lorenz ran a hand through his hair as he parked his vehicle, climbing out and shaking himself. Thursdays were his typical off-days at the house, one of the reasons he held the Golden Days meetups those days.

He looked through the parking lot, stepping next to the car that pulled up. He let out a disgruntled noise as the door nearly hit him, Lorenz taking a step back. He smiled when he saw who was in the car.

“Ah, hello Annette, Mercedes. It’s such a pleasure. Do you require assistance taking anything in?” Lorenz asked, sidestepping the door. He stared, stunned, as Annette passed him off several boxes, getting out of the car while Mercedes walked around, carrying her own stack of boxes nestled in her arms.

“I hope we didn’t over prepare, I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to bring. Anything left over can be reused tomorrow during business,” Mercedes offered, “how are you tonight, Lorenz? And how has business been?”

Lorenz smiled, Annette gathering the rest of her items and shutting the door. “I am quite well, thank you for asking. It’s going quite well. We have all of our rooms booked for tomorrow and Marianne will be assisting.”

“That’s amazing to hear! I am so glad that you were able to turn this place around. It would have been such a shame to see it fall to disrepair.” Mercedes smiled at him, eyes alight in wonder. “And you have done such a wonderful job.”

Lorenz smiled, glancing up at the building. “It has been a project of love, I must admit. But, it has given me something fun to do these past few years.” They walked and spoke, Lorenz leading them down the hall to one of the lit rooms. “I have been thinking of expanding the rooms as well. There’s still a decent chunk of the building that isn’t in use.”

“Do people really like tea that much?” Annette asked, glancing at Lorenz.

Lorenz paused, looking back at her. He shifted, squaring his shoulders and meeting her gaze. “It’s more than just tea. We’re showing the masses how the art of tea was done, a thousand years ago.”

“Right… tea is tea.” Lorenz rolled his eyes at the statement, showing Annette where to place her arm full of goodies. “How different can it be from a thousand years ago?”

Lorenz looked at her, his eyes going wide. “How different…? Why, I can show you how different a tea ceremony is. Not tonight, of course, but there is the proper decorum and-” He turned when there was a soft knock on the frame of the door, nodding at the newcomer.

“Ah, hello! Am I interrupting?” Leonie asked, walking into the room. “I ended up coming earlier than expected, but the door was open so…”

Lorenz glanced at Leonie, resting a hand on her shoulder once he was standing next to her. “Just the person I need to speak with. Tell Annette just how different a tea ceremony is from a thousand years ago to today. You work in a coffee shop and serve tea there as well, don’t you?”

Leonie glanced from Lorenz to Annette, raising an eyebrow. She took a step back, shaking her head. “Nah, this doesn’t sound like a conversation I feel comfortable being a part of. Mercedes, I hope you’re well! Oh, that reminds me. Raphael told me he wasn’t going to make it tonight. Something about… an unexpected trip? Either way, he wanted me to pass that along.”

Lorenz nodded, turning to look at Leonie. “Of course, he will be missed, but nothing we can do about that. Would you assist me in setting up the room?”

Annette and Leonie both nodded as Mercedes set out the baked treats, placing one box of cookies into her purse.

“Are you expecting a higher than usual turn out tonight?” Leonie asked, following Lorenz to the spare room. He pulled out several extra chairs, pushing the rest of the stack towards the women.

Lorenz let out a hum, setting the chairs down long enough to push hair out of his face and readjust his grip on them. He considered the question, finding the words he wanted after a moment of thought. “I have confirmation that we’ll have at least one new face, but I was asked to keep it a secret. It is possible that they don’t show up at all, of course.”

Leonie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, a secret is it?”

“Is it Claude?” Annette asked, watching Lorenz’s face morph into horror.

“How did you-” he began, forcing his facial features back into submission.

Annette shook her head. “I happened to talk to Felix yesterday and he mentioned that Claude was in town. He wanted to get out of the house to avoid Sylvain and Claude for a while, actually.”

“Ah, of course.” Lorenz nodded to himself, looking away as he picked up two more chairs, deciding he didn’t want to have to make an extra trip back to the storage room.

“Hey, I saw Claude at work the other day, too!” Leonie said, stopping as she adjusted her grip on her chairs. “It was nice to see him again. We have almost all of the Golden Deer back together!”

Lorenz let out a hum, looking down the hallway. “Well, as long as I can offer a safe place for people to speak of their pasts, I will continue hosting these events. But, yes, you are right. It’s such a shame that Raphael could not be here tonight.”

“Have you ever found out where Lysithea ended up?” Leonie asked, the trio entering the room once more. Lorenz shook his head, Annette dropping off her two chairs near the couch. She gave the room a quick glance over, moving to sit next to Mercedes.

“No, but maybe Claude might know a thing or two,” Lorenz murmured. He thought of Lysithea and when they were younger, his heart clenching at the thought of seeing her again. He sat in his chair, a pot of tea brewing on one of the modified heating pads.

They sat in silence as others drifted into the room, by ones and twos until it was very nearly full. Lorenz shifted in the heat, rolling up his shirt sleeves and listened to the idle chatter, his gaze falling to a clock on the wall.

The Golden Days never had a set time of meeting or ending and people drifted in and out without rhyme or reason. He often played host, getting and fetching tea and treats to those that wanted it. But, now he sat, content to just watch as the others filtered in.

He kept his eye on the door, Hilda moving out of the corner of his eye, brushing her hair out of her face. The chatter had fallen silent, Lorenz lifting his gaze to see Claude standing in the doorway.

Hilda was the first to speak, shattering the silence.

“Claude?”

“No way!”

“Where have you been-”

Lorenz listened to everyone bombard Claude with questions, his eyes drifting to the others he brought with him. He stared, surprised to see both Dimitri and Dedue standing at the edge of the room, blocking the entrance to the door.

Ferdinand shook his head, looking up and catching Lorenz’s gaze. He looked back at Dorothea, their arms linked together. “At this rate, it’s a conspiracy that there are so many of us together,” Ferdinand muttered, “I… thought Felix was joking about Claude being in town.”

As Ferdinand spoke, the others fell silent, taking in the two people Claude had brought with him. Dimitri tried to step back with so many eyes on him suddenly, but something stopped him. Lorenz shook his head as red hair and an all too familiar voice entered the room.

“Wow, I did not expect this many people here tonight.” Sylvain commented, his gaze flicking over everyone.

Lorenz looked up at Sylvain, his eyes narrowing in disdain. His relationship with Sylvain was shaky at best, though he had done his best to avoid Sylvain after only a handful of encounters with him in the recent years. “You are the one that is always mocking my tea house, Sylvain. What are you doing here?”

“Ah, well, Claude extended an invitation that I couldn’t refuse. And you know how he is with that tongue of his.” Sylvain waggled his eyebrows at Lorenz, the man turning a bright red before he looked away, clearing his throat.

“Seriously, Sylvain? Do you ever try to keep it in your head?”

Ingrid’s voice was punctual, the woman looking up from her spot near Ashe, the pair sitting on Lorenz’s left. Annette smiled, shaking her head in amusement.

“It looks like we’re almost all together, huh?” Claude asked, bringing the attention back to himself.

“Yes, I suppose so.” Lorenz sniffed, glancing at the newcomers. “Had I known we would have so many people, I would have used one of the bigger rooms.”

“Heh, sorry about that. Leonie didn’t mention if you had to RSVP or not, so we thought we’d just show up.” Sylvain shrugged as Dimitri stepped to the side, gaze turned to the ground. Mercedes turned to look at him, a smile on her face.

“Would you like a cookie?”

Dimitri opened his mouth, glancing at the others. He quickly shook his head no, shrinking down in himself as several people decided that he wasn’t of much interest after all. The air settled into much more relaxed, Mercedes passing around the cookies, of which half of the gathered collective shook their heads, giving her a look before looking at the other pastries that were provided.

“Dimitri.”

Lorenz glanced sideways when he heard Dimitri’s name be spoken. He shifted in his seat, teacup in hand. He hadn’t engaged much with the others, as most evenings. He enjoyed watching the others interact and wonder what it would have been like to really know them, before war got in the way.Seeing Ingrid sitting close to Dedue as he and Ashe traded recipes, using several sheets of paper Ignatz supplied, was heartwarming enough.

Felix was staring Dimitri down, the man looking startled to have such intensity placed on him. He was leaning against the wall, Lorenz glancing away as the pair began to talk.

For now, it looked like Felix wasn’t going to start a fight.

Lorenz settled back in his chair, glancing towards Sylvain as the man winked at him.

“How have you been, Lorenz?” he asked, his gaze darting over to where Claude was speaking with Hilda, a smile transfixed on his face.

Lorenz shrugged, running a hand through his hair. It was shorter than he had intended for it to be, but he was enjoying it, finding it a nice change of pace. “Business has been good. And yourself?”

“I think I fell in love all over again.”

Lorenz followed his gaze, Sylvain letting out a sigh. “You and him got together, before you died, didn’t you?”

Lorenz narrowed his gaze. “If you think I’m going to try and get back together with him, you’re wrong.”

“No, I… I am just glad that he had such a good partner near the end. I just wish I had been there.”

Lorenz cleared his throat. “He never forgot you. He had a child named after you, much to his wife’s amusement.”

Sylvain nodded, slipping away from Lorenz’s side and he glanced at the table, getting up to rearrange the snacks. He set out another pot of tea, adjusting the warming setting and turned, retaking his seat and closing his eyes to listen.

They all looked up as there was a crack, Claude opening his mouth as he looked at the cup he had dropped. Sylvain had jumped out of the way of the hot liquid, Lorenz sighing as he looked at the shattered cup.

“I suppose it was bound to happen again,” he muttered to himself, thinking of all the other broken cups he had acquired from these meetings.

“Sorry about that, I’ll pay for the cup, Lorenz. Uhm, while I have everyone’s attention…” He shuffled to the side, taking several envelopes out of a messenger bag. “I have invites.”

“Invites?” Lorenz asked, having gotten up to fetch the dust pan. He paused, regarding Claude curiously. Marianne slipped out the door, waving at Lorenz to stay where he was.

“Yes, invites. I have one for everyone from our… group. There’s going to a ball, at Garrag Mach Monastery.”

He stood in the center of the room, Marianne already returning with several towels and paper towels to clean up the mess.

“And what do you get out of us being there?” Hilda asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“The promise.”

Lorenz took in a breath, shaking his head as Claude spoke.

“Five years before we met again at the monastery, the Golden Deers made a promise to meet at the monastery for the millennium festival. Well, the second millennium is coming up in December. I want everyone to get together and just… celebrate, like we should have. Which means, does anyone know how to get in touch with Edelgard and Hubert?” Claude asked as he began to pass out invites, matching the names on the envelope to their intended recipient.

“But, if it was a Golden Deer thing, why invite everyone?” Annette asked.

Claude hesitated, looking around the room. Mercedes frowned in agreement but accepted her own invite, looking it over.

“I do also have to question your motives, Claude.”

“Come on! I bet if Claude’s inviting us, he’ll be the one throwing together the party. I bet it’ll be a lot of fun! I’ll go,” Hilda promised, “but… you do realize that we aren’t all here, right? I haven’t heard from Lysithea or Linhardt at all.”

Lorenz winced as she mentioned Lysithea, glancing at Claude. The small tidbit he had been offered, just two weeks ago, had given him cause to think about what he would tell her if he got to meet with her again.

Claude cleared his throat. “I’ve been in touch with a few of the others, so it’s going to be as close of a full house as I can get. At the very least, I plan on going. If none of you want to come, or if only some of you want to come, I understand.” He held an invite to Ingrid, the woman narrowing her eyes before she sighed.

“Are you really planning on inviting Edelgard?” she asked, taking the invite and tucking it into her pocket.

“Well, if I can find her, yes.” Claude glanced around, gaze landing on Ferdinand.

The man shook his head, holding his hands up. “I will have no part of this. We may be different, but I still fear for my own life if I were to cross her.”

Lorenz grimaced when Ferdinand spoke, his gaze skittering to Claude. He had the name of the school written down, ready to pass him when he was able to take it from him.

“I agree with Ferdie. If you want to find them, you have to do it on your own,” Dorothea sighed, accepting her invite, “but I’d be delighted to attend.”

“Well, if you think you can get everyone to go, I would be delighted to see who doesn’t come.” Lorenz shifted in his chair, picking up his teacup. “Do you really think you could get everyone to come?”

Claude grinned, his eyes flashing. “I will accept that challenge. So, what does everyone say? You want to come and party like it’s the year eleven eighty five with… a lot less weapons. All your weapons are supposed to stay home. No weapons allowed on the monastery grounds, please. Actually, let’s make it that we’re partying like it’s eleven eighty. Still, a lot less weapons. Please. For the safety-”

“Aren’t all the Hero’s Relics on display at the monastery?” Lorenz asked, recalling the time he had toured the monastery during high school. It had been a fascinating trip, being able to see the age old relics and know exactly what they were made of.

The last thought had given him pause, when he recalled the horror of finding out what they were made from.

Claude glanced at him, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yes, I suppose they are. But no one has been born bearing a crest in four centuries. We aren’t going to mess with them now.”

Sylvain smirked, putting an arm around Claude’s shoulders. “I would hate for the news to get a hold of that story. ‘Group of adults break into the Monastery, mythical beasts emerge in their place.”

Lorenz settled in his chair, waving Annette and Mercedes goodbye as they left the room. He turned back to Claude, tilting his head. “We aren’t going to be breaking into the monastery, are we?”

Claude shook his head. “I’ll have keys, plus they do rent out rooms if people are really that interested. It’s all going to be good to go. No breaking in, promise.”

Lorenz narrowed his eyes. “Of course. It is a public space after all.” He settled back in his chair with his fresh cup of tea, seeing everyone out of the house around midnight. He waited as Claude lingered, glancing towards the room.

“Do you have a number I can give to Lysithea, if she wanted to contact you?”

Lorenz nodded, walking to the front desk. “I also have the name of the school Edelgard works at. Here.”

He jotted his number down and pulled the other slip of paper out of his pocket, handing them to Claude “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Claude smiled, accepting it. “I do. And you know, you looked better with longer hair.”

“Well, I suppose with short hair, the wigs fit better.” Lorenz winked back at Claude, watching him raise his eyebrows.

“So you do really-”

“Good night, Claude.” Lorenz ushered him out of the door, a smile on his face as the door was shut. He went into the used room, beginning to rebox and place pastries in new containers, clearing out the trash and resetting the room for the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> TBH, I wasn't entirely sure what to do for Lorenz's, but here we are!


End file.
